Hi IanS,
The ILD rating is never an exact number, and how it is represented in ILD is determined from the manufacturer of the foam (what ranges they decide to produce) or how the reseller wants to advertise it. You can see the ILD numbers and the “word ratings” that Talalay Global (who makes the Talatech blended and natural latex you referenced) here. Talalay Global calls their softest natural Talalay N1, with a range of 14-19.99 ILD. The Talalay process tends to distribute the latex rubber particles quite well due to the vacuum seal/flash freeze part of the process, but natural rubber particles are stickier, less consistent and more difficult to work with than synthetic rubber, and there can be a bit more slight variation in ILD for a blended versus natural Talalay core, although the range of +/- 2 or so for the ILD is quite standard. The larger variances tend to be with Dunlop, as you can get some more settling of the latex rubber material in those cores, depending upon the process, with a +/- 4 ILD or so being a common variance.
Both choices you mentioned would be very soft, with the blended topper probably feeling more plush to you than the natural. However, I wouldn’t be able to tell you which one you might find more of a “cradle sensation”, as that is subjective and would also be partially determined by the mattress upon which the topper is placed.
Subject to first confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list that you wish to visit is completely transparent (see this article ) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around Los Angeles are listed here . You may also wish to use the Pure Talalay Bliss retailer locator here to find the closest PTB retailer, as the toppers they offer are the blended latex from Talalay Global in the 19 ILD range. I don’t keep a listing of the individual items (toppers – latex or gel) that all of the retails in specific areas keep on their floors, as that would be too large of a project for anyone to accomplish in an ever-changing landscape, so you’ll have to do some research on the web sites of place some phone calls to any retailers you are considering.
I’m not sure why you would have derived that opinion, as that is not my stance. There is more about buckling column gel in this article and in post #2 here and the posts it links to. A forum search on “buckling column gel” (you can just click the link) will also bring up more comments and feedback about it as well. It can be a good choice for those who have more extreme pressure relieving issues, as it compresses differently from normal foams (stays firm until reaching a threshold, where it “buckles”, where foams normally get progressively firmer as more weight is applied). The negatives are the higher price (although this is getting a bit better), the unique feel, and the "popping’ that some people find objectionable (mostly when placed as a topper or in the uppermost part of the mattress).
You can see some of my comments about the Intellibed (and other types of buckling column gel) in this topic and in this topic and a forum search on Intelligel (you can just click this) will bring up more about them as well.
You’re welcome!
Phoenix